Today was the big release of Disney's blockbuster hit, Ratatouille, on DVD. To say that Abby was excited would be an understatement! Every time she has seen a commericial advertisement for the film's release, she has started screaming, "RATATOUILLE! RATATOUILLE! RATATOUILLE!", all the while running around in the middle of the living room like she's driving in a Nascar race. When I picked her up from school today, she inquisitively asked, "Today is Ratatouille day?", refering to the occasion as though it were a national holiday. Since I needed to pick up dinner supplies and a copy of the film, a trip to Wal-Mart was in order. The marketing Guru's of the industry, realizing that parents like myself would be visiting the store, had a mondo display with about one-million-and-one copies of the film just inside the door's of both main entrances of the store. If only finding the supplies I needed to cook dinner were so easy! So with our newly aquisitioned copy of the movie in hand, we proceeded to get through the aggrevation that is Wal-Mart. As with any 3-year-old, the only thing we heard about for the remainder of the evening was the movie. It got to the point where we couldn't get the infernal wrapping off the DVD case fast enough to put an end to the constant nagging we were experiencing.

Once the movie was in the dvd player, we experienced a brief moment of joy; For Abby it was because of the start of the movie; And for Mom and Dad, it was because of the temporary cease-fire of that pesky harassment we experienced when I pressed the play button. Abby really seemed to enjoy the movie -- At least the first half. Her short attention span only lasted for the first hour (or so) of the movie and then her interest in the flick waned, as whatever the dog was doing became more entertaining. She spent some time dragging the poor mutt around the living room in his doggie bed until she either wore herself out or finally got sick of hearing her mother yelling at her to leave the dog alone. Either way, she finally sat down and watched the last 10 or 15 minutes of the movie. I'm sure that this will become another one of our favorites, and I expect that within the next couple of months, we will have all the scenes and their corresponding scripts committed to memory. The main character of the movie is a rat named Remy, but in Abby's little mind, his name is Ratatouille. She must have asked us no fewer than 20 times, "What is Ratatouille doing?". There doesn't appear to be any chance that we are going to be convincing her of the rat's real name any time soon. Oh well! As long as she's happy and the movie is wholesome, we're happy too! An all around Win-Win in the Kilian household!

Next Tuesday brings us the release of Dreamwork Studio's Shrek III on DVD (FINALLY!!!). The Shrek movies have quickly become Abby's ultimate favorites. Her poor mother has probably seen Shrek I and II a thousand times a piece. Suffice it to say that we are looking forward to having some new Shrek material around to entertain us. I can't wait to post updates about the new viewing experience next week. Hopefully we will get an earlier start next time!

Everyone else is well. Aidan is still the best baby in town, which is a confirmed, non-subjective, scientific fact. I keep getting requests from folks to post new pictures, but I have to be honest, the only thing that really changes with his pictures at this point is the outfit he's wearing. But I do have new photos and I will look forward to getting those posted within the next couple of days. He's a cute little stinker and I love showing him off! We are crossing our fingers and knocking on wood (and any other superstitious act we can think of!) that he will continue to have such a sweet and mellow personality.

Mama is also doing well. She's continuing to heal and get back to "normal" more everyday. The headaches have started to subside and she looks forward to a full recovery soon.

We have a very full and busy holiday season that we are already beginning to make preparations for. I saw a sign in the store today that said that Christmas is only 48 days away. What?! 48 days?! Are you sure?! Isn't that crazy? Another year of my life that I really can't believe has come and gone...Seriously, where does the time go? Keep your browser locked on our site for the next few weeks for new holiday updates, including a count-down to the big day......Remember, only 48 days! Whew, we've gotta get busy!